Letter: Republican empathy too rare

Many in the world paid attention to the words of one former governor of Florida when he stated that illegal immigrants that broke the law by sneaking into the country to provide for their families are not committing a felony; “it is an act of love.” The above thoughts of Jeb Bush reminded me of the type of political courage demonstrated by his father in 1991 when David Duke (known for being a white supremacist) ran in the Louisiana gubernatorial race; George H.W. Bush, the president at the time, told voters in Louisiana to vote for the other guy; the other guy, Edwin Edwards, was a Democrat.

In my opinion, it is rare in the present times for any Republican running for a political position to show any real empathy toward the plight of illegal immigrants. If other Republicans like Jeb Bush came out from hiding behind the shadows of harsh politics laced with fear, “human Republicans” like former Sen. Bob Dole and former Secretary of State Colin Powell would again have a place in their party.